Erica McFarland

Running for school board in Anne Arundel County District 3

How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?

45

Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?

Our Lady of the Fields Church, office manager

What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?

I began college for elementary education before getting married and starting a family.

Why are you running for the school board?

I am running because I feel I can make a difference in our schools and our community. I am thoughtful in listening to concerns, engaging in conversation and in collaboratively coming up with creative and effective solutions when issues arise. I can see the good in every person, but I also see some division and misunderstanding of each other. I’d like to be the bridge that brings us together. I truly believe that, simply put, we all just want what’s best for our children. Let’s work together with open hearts and minds for our students. I know that given the necessary education and tools, our kids can make the world a better place. I want to support that. I want to be a part of that. Helping our children to rise to challenges, come up with creative solutions and watching them soar would make me so proud.

What makes you a good candidate for the board?

I work well with others, even when there are disagreements. I have the ability to remain calm and respectful of others and aim to always come to a greater understanding of different points of view and how we can work together. I firmly believe that each person has something to lend to a collaborative group. What I can lend is my heart. This may sound impractical, as there are so many practical and intellectual decisions to be made by the board. But what I have found is that when I lead with my heart, the rest comes easily. In every decision, I will be thinking about the people it affects- who it will benefit and if it will leave anyone behind. I carry the heart of a teacher and the love of a parent.

What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?

Currently, the greatest need is staffing. We need to have enough mental health professionals, special education educators, nurses, food service workers, bus drivers, and all other positions that are critical to the needs in our schools. In order to do this, we need to offer competitive pay in today’s market and foster a positive work environment where our staff feels valued. Investment in our staff is returned to us in full in their investment in the future of our children and our community.

Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.

I admire Pope Francis. Even being pope, he is still human and imperfect, but he has a good heart. He has challenged the way we think about people and the world around us. He encourages us to serve our neighbor, to be kind to those around us, to be accepting of all people, and to love above all else.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased education funding to support early childhood education, increased teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it will affect your school district.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future keeps at its heart that the education of our children is paramount to our future. It prioritizes education, beginning with our youngest learners, and works to ensure equity, readiness for the next steps along the way, and aims to attract and retain a diverse set of quality educators. Of course, even with the best thought-out plan, oversight is required to make sure that it is being implemented in a way that produces the desired result. As the Blueprint rolls out, especially when there are so many needs in our schools vying for funding, we will need to be mindful to think creatively, course-correct as needed, and put in a lot of hard work. But I firmly believe that all of our effort will pay off as we see our students succeed.

Some school districts nationwide are placing new limits on the use of cellphones in middle and high schools. What do you think should be the policy on student use of cellphones in your district, and why do you support that policy?

New guidelines were provided at Anne Arundel County Public Schools this year by Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell, which prohibit cellphone use in elementary and middle schools, while allowing high schoolers to have them out only in the cafeteria at lunchtime. In listening to both teachers and students, I think that cellphones have become too large a distraction in our classrooms, and they should be away during instruction. In listening to parents, many feel that they want their student’s cellphone accessible at all times in case of emergency. I absolutely understand this concern. The current guidelines allow for both of these. The guidelines should be enforced across the board, with support from the administration and consistent consequences.

Are you satisfied with your school district's efforts to ensure the safety of its students? What, if anything, should be done to improve school safety in your district?

Everyone should feel safe in our schools. Unfortunately, bullying continues to be a problem. We really need to focus on social-emotional learning and fostering a culture of acceptance of others from the youngest grades and up. It breaks my heart that some people are made to feel like they don’t belong in our schools and community just for being who they are. This is near and dear to my heart, and I will always stand up for those who are pushed to the margins.

Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries? If so, what kind of books should be removed, and who should make those decisions?

There is a process in place to review books before they are put on the shelves and to request a review of books already in the library. I trust our educators and librarians to choose a wide range of age-level books that reflect the diversity of our student population. Reading instills a love for learning, develops a creative imagination, challenges our mindset, supports us through tough times and teaches us about the world around us. We are all unique in what speaks to us, and we have the choice to read a book or leave it on the shelf, but we need to maintain diversity in book choices so that we all have access to the books that spark our interest.

Some school districts enact policies allowing transgender and gender nonconforming students to use their preferred pronouns while at the same time not informing those students' parents about that decision. What is your opinion of such policies?

As a parent, no matter which pronouns feel right to my children, I will love them. With that, it breaks my heart that there are kids out there who don't feel comfortable sharing things like this with the people in their home. I would encourage all parents to remind their kids often that they will be loved and cared for no matter what. Unfortunately, there are still situations where a child faces being kicked out of their home or ostracized for coming out to their family. Our duty as a school system is to support the child. I wish we could have a world where this is not something we have to choose, but in the present situation, I do not think the school system should be forced to have a child come out to their parents if they are not yet comfortable doing so.

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